Budget Car Rental Reviews 

AVOID THESE SCAMMERS

Three vehicles in thirteen days, two of them dangerous, and a tourist police station on the last morning of my holiday. This is the full account.

I booked with Budget Group two to three weeks before arriving in Colombo on 24 August. I was promised a specific MG SUV with features I needed as a foreign driver. It was guaranteed to me and they took a LKR 30,000 advance.

VEHICLE ONE. I landed and was told the car had changed. What turned up was a Honda Vezel with broken suspension and a failing steering column. I have run a vehicle business in the UK and work with mechanics daily, so this was not guesswork. The windows did not open. No Bluetooth, no navigation.
Here’s when we meet our primary villain: “AMANDA”

Amanda is a seasoned Sri Lankan scammer with the personality of a petulant child. A true embarrassment to the human race.

Amanda insisted I take it, and priced it higher than what I had booked. By then I had missed two appointments arguing with them on the forecourt, so I had no realistic choice. She assured me the correct vehicle would arrive within a day or two.

VEHICLE TWO. It arrived two days late, on 26 August, after I missed further appointments waiting for it. It had a faulty brake light, which is an offence under s.140 of the Motor Traffic Act. They told me it was fine. I was due in Kandy, so again I had no choice.
In Kandy I noticed a burning smell. Warning lights came up for traction and steering. I opened the bonnet to a substantial oil leak, with fresh residue around the filler cap indicating they already knew.
What happened next is the part every traveller should read. They tried to make me drive that car four to five hours back to their office, at night, in that condition. They wanted me to buy the oil myself. They would not accept that collecting a broken vehicle was their responsibility. I refused, both because it was unsafe and because starting an engine with no oil risks seizing it, which I was not prepared to do to someone else’s car.
I was stranded. I called the tourism helpline, who put me through to Chief Inspector Mahagedra of the Kandy Tourist Police. Only once he was involved did Budget agree to come out. They arrived at 11:30pm with a third car.

VEHICLE THREE. Within a short drive the tyre pressure warning appeared. I informed them and took it to the nearest mechanic, who found the rear tyre badly bulged and told me plainly it was the rental company’s fault. He recorded a voice note saying so, which I forwarded to them. I paid LKR 31,200 out of my own pocket to make the car safe, because I had the Ella Gap descent ahead of me.

They ignored me for two full days. Not one reply to a simple request for written confirmation that I would get my deposit and the tyre cost back. She responded only when I put the conversation in a group chat where others could see it, and only engaged properly when the police were mentioned again.

She then refused a neutral handover, and tried to move the return from the airport, agreed in writing at booking, to their own office. That would have left me with no car, no money, and dependent on the company I was in dispute with for a lift to my flight.
So on my final morning, instead of packing, I gave a statement to the tourist police. Amanda was summoned to the station. I was paid there, in front of an officer.
Throughout all of this Amanda was dismissive and at times openly rude. Not once was there an apology for the missed appointments, the lost days, the night stranded in Kandy, or the money I was left out of pocket.
Three vehicles, three defects, two police interventions, one holiday substantially ruined. This is not bad luck. It is a company that puts unroadworthy cars in the hands of tourists and relies on you being on a schedule and far from home.
If you book here anyway: photograph and video every panel, tyre, light and the odometer before you drive off, insist the agreed vehicle and return location are confirmed in writing, never release the keys before the cash is in your hand, and save every message. You will need all of it.

Booked and paid for a car rental from MXP, included the over priced Insurance for peace of mind, was happy with the price direct through the Budget website.
Used Quick Pass so very little Intraction wih staff, just sign here and get the keys in the parking garage.
Come home to find a 2nd charge taken on my credit card for an extra 36%.
Email exchange with their low price AI customer service bot that tells me my original paid for booking voucher didn't cover the cost of the actual booking (1st time in dozens of rental bookings with all the major agencies that this has happened to me), asked why - no answer but a breakdown of their charged fees being higher.
Basically quoted a cheap price, I went with it and after paying they bump up the price considerably.

I reserved and paid for a vehicle 10 days prior to pickup . When I went to pick it up I was told the only vehicle available was a gas guzzling 4 dr pick up, NOT the economy vehicle I requested. I was out another $150 for the extra gas.

Charged 2200 euro for broken clutch 3 weeks after rental. Mind you, the car was fine and clutch was okay when car was returned. Had to chase them to even explain why they charged us and they send us an invoice for a scratch and then pictures of clutch. Please avoid them, i will fight until I get my money back. Rude, unprofessional, disrespectful - customer service non existent. Rented cars all over the world but have a feeling they won’t last long if that’s their business model.

Had a car booked and confirmed but was cancelled 3 days after booking as they no longer wish to hire the vehicle at the cost given. Disgraceful company. Avoid at all costs. You could end up with a cancellation at anytime before collection leaving you with no car.

Avoid at all cost. Returned an EV at 66% charge and the person on location told me it was ok. One day later, I received an additional charge of 42 dollar. Completely ridiculous. They don’t give the slightest care for customers satisfaction.

I rented a car through Priceline. No signing a contract when i picked up the car and service member just gave me the keys and walked away. When i dropped off the car the service member just told me to drop the keys in the box. The next day I was charged for insurance i never agreed to, customer service is from another country just repeated the charges to me with no understanding or resolution. I disputed charges and Capital One sided with Budget. I gave proof that i purchased insurance through Priceline for $65 and Budget charged me $220 as well. Will never book with them again.

Absolutely shocking company. Hired a car from Basel Airport, and upon return, they reported damage that did not occure during our rental, and charged ridiculous money for the alleged minor 'damage'. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Still fighting to get back a disputed charge..company is so incompetent...None of the prices match when they respond to me...Realized an inital payment I charged to my card had the wrong....reservation number and location of the car...I'm thinking they may have credited my payment to another driver...HORRIBLE

I wish I can give them 1/2 star. I rented from JFK location they charged me for a windshield that I didn’t break had to fight like hell to get my money back. On top of that somebody at JFK location wasusing my card to reserve rentals for other people had to dispute toll charges and camera tickets at times I didn’t even have a rental. I WOULD NEVER RENT FROM BUDGET AGAIN!!!!!

scammers

discussing behaviour!

I made a booking with this company through Expedia and I advise everyone to not do this, I arrived to collect my car rental after passing id checks. upon arrival they then proceeded to tell me I had failed the checks, I have been in correspondence with Expedia for 3 weeks trying to get a refund, Expedia seemed really helpful to start with. after 3 weeks of emails and phone calls I have now been made aware that I needed to contact budget cars. they are now denying any responsibility and have over £300 of my money!

do not use!

Booked a car via RentalCars.com for collection in Naples. Arrived, the person at the desk tried to add extras like location fee, other fees. I declined all and then I was billed c£380 of fees I didn’t agree to. I have had to do a chargeback via my credit card and raise a complaint which has been ignored so far. Avoid and use a more reputable company. I’ll never use them again, most others I’ve used have been absolutely fine.

⭐ 1 STAR — TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE — I FEEL COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF

I am extremely dissatisfied with my experience with Budget at Oakland Airport. This has been one of the most frustrating car rental experiences I have ever had.

When I rented the car, I paid a $250 deposit. I was under the impression that this money would be returned after I brought the car back. I also paid more than $150 for gas and tolls. After returning the car, I was shocked to find out that Budget is now telling me that I am only getting $66 back from my $250 deposit.

The biggest problem is that no one has been able to clearly explain where the rest of my money went. I was charged additional fees that were never properly explained to me when I rented the vehicle. I have still not received a detailed, itemized billing statement showing exactly what I was charged for.

It has now been more than a week since I returned the car, and I STILL have not received the supposed $66 refund.

I called customer service expecting someone to resolve the issue, but instead I was told that they need my bank’s fax number to process the refund. Seriously? I paid with my debit card. Why can’t Budget simply return the money to the same debit card they charged? This makes absolutely no sense to me.

The entire process feels unnecessarily complicated and completely unacceptable. A customer should not have to spend hours calling customer service just to find out why their own money has not been returned.

I feel that the charges were not transparent, the refund process is ridiculous, and the customer service has been extremely disappointing.

This feels like a ripoff.

I strongly recommend that anyone considering renting from Budget ask for every single fee in writing and carefully review the final charges before leaving the rental location. Based on my experience, I will think twice before ever renting from Budget again.

Budget — you need to do better. Customers deserve transparency, accurate billing, and a straightforward refund process.

I was given a car with a side to side shake that was very dangerous. It was not noticeable until highway speed so it was too late to switch out for a other vehicle.
Upon return the very snippy desk clerk refused to do anything about the inconvenience.
Also, don't go past your exact 24 hour time or you get charged for an entire 24 hour period. No pro rating.
This company sucks

The car was fine, but when I picked it up , the tank of gas was half empty! When I returned the car, I was given credit for the extra gas. So far so good...except I noticed that I never actually got the credit! I called over a week and a half later to find out that since I prepaid, they actually would not have refunded me unless I had called them! This is no way to do business with integrity! Very disappointed that I had to jump through these hoops. IMHO, The counter person could have informed me that there was a process for the refund. Lastly, When I informed customer service about this today, they didn't seem to care about my experience one bit. Disappointing!

AVOID USING AVIS / BUDGET AT TIVAT AIRPORT IN MONTENEGRO!!

They force you to buy very expensive extra insurancies claiming the one have bought and is visible on your voucher isn't valid in Montenegro since they are not part of EU.

I recently travelled to Boston, landing at Logan International Airport, having prepaid a three week car rental with Budget via Auto Europe for a Mazda CX50 or similar, so i expected the process to be straightforward. Unfortunately, it was anything but.

At the counter, the agent was unhelpful from the start and immediately tried to sell me additional extras. I explained that i had already prepaid full-cover package and showed my voucher, but the agent dismissed it and insisted i needed roadside assistance. I pointed out that towing was included, yet i was told it wasn't and i felt pressured into paying for it.

When i went to collect the vehicle i was given a Mazda CX30- a smaller class than i had booked-and told it was the only car available because they were busy. The car smelled of smoke inside and when i raised this, the agent simply shrugged and said there were no other options.

After three weeks, i returned the car. It was dusty on the outside and the same condition inside as when i collected it. Despite this i was charged $250 for cleaning. I raised three issues with customer service

1. Excessive cleaning charge
2.Being given a lower class vehicle than i prepaid for
3.Being mis-sold roadside assistance

After lengthy email exchanges, Budget only reduced the cleaning charge to $125, refunded one day of rental and ignored my complaint about mis-selling.

The entire experience was, frustrating, disappointing and left me feeling cheated. Their customer service was unhelpful throughout and i would strongly advise others NOT to use Budget. I will never use them again.

My experience picking up the Budget rental vehicle in Braintree, Ma was fine. The problem came after I returned it.

Weeks later, while reviewing my statement, I noticed that Budget had charged me an additional $200+ on top of what I already paid for the moving van rental. I immediately called to find out what the charge was for and was told it was for refueling the vehicle.

This was extremely frustrating because the tank was NOT full when I received the truck. When I returned it, the employee specifically asked me if I had filled it up. I explained that I had replaced the gas I used because the tank was not full when it was given to me. His response was basically, “Okay, cool,” and then he proceeded to answer the phone. At no point did he tell me that there was an issue or that I was going to be charged over $200 for fuel.

I had the van for less than 24 hours and drove it less than 10 miles, if that. I even spent $25 on gas at $5.09 per gallon before returning it, which was actually MORE gas than I could have possibly used based on the mileage I drove.

Now, weeks later, I’m being told that this is simply “what they do” and that I was supposed to return the tank full—even though they did not give it to me with a full tank in the first place. How does it make sense to charge a customer over $200 to fill a tank that Budget themselves did not provide full?

Had the employee told me when I returned the vehicle that it needed to be completely filled regardless of how I received it, I could have addressed it right then and there. Instead, I was told everything was okay and then hit with a ridiculous charge weeks later.

This entire situation has completely changed my opinion of Budget. I will never rent from this company again, and I strongly recommend that anyone renting from them take pictures of the fuel gauge at pickup and return and carefully check your credit card statements afterward. A $200+ surprise charge for fuel after driving a van less than 10 miles is absolutely unacceptable.

This is the most unprofessional company ever. Do not rent from them . They will charge you and send you to collections. After you have proven from your bank you do owe them anything. Another investigation due to them going into the bank account again and taking money. At this point it's stealing and fraud.

Beware of these. They don't explain any of the excess insurance, just stick it on asking with the petrol charge. Nothing explained at all, so ends up costing a fortune, definitely not Budget!

Would not use again.